Seen and unseen

Unedited and imperfect

the tiny wispy feather of a seed

holds unseen

a blaze orange zinnia

on a tall green stalk.

the miniscule pearly dot

on the milkweed leaf

holds unseen

1 - a diminutive caterpillar

2 - a fat striped one

3 - a milky green chrysalis

4 - the monarch beauty 

emerging with wet wings

and high hopes.

the flaky brown bulb

pushed into nearly 

frozen fall earth

holds unseen

a pinkish red tulip.

or at least it did.

the tulip’s petals

now hide unseen

digested by a

neighborhood rabbit.

---

my stomach rolls

(they call it belly fat)

hold unseen

a memory of roundness,

the curve of a uterus

which held unseen

my growing babies.

three separate times.

now they are fully

seen and grown adults.

my sore knees

hold unseen

the imprint of

movements and moments

skipped and walked

biked and ran

jumped and danced.

everyday steps and 

outlandish adventures.

my aching back 

holds unseen

memories of moves

and hefted groceries

and balanced babies

and piles of books. and boxes.

---

what is still unseen?

what magic remains?

what memories

are hidden in the

fullness of our bodies?

so much of beauty,

strength, power,

so much of life

ambles, bursts,

emerges, slides out.

or it’s embedded in us

unseen but known

deep in our bones.

*****

Today I’m sharing this poem I composed for my writing group last week. Unedited. Imperfect. Letting it go as is, which aligns with some of my themes from last week’s post.

Almost everyday I take a walk on my lunch break. I work in a windowless office, and my soul craves a view of the outside world. Even on dreary or rainy or snowy days. Even for ten minutes.

The prompt for our writing group was “seen and unseen.” I pondered that on my lunchtime walk and jotted down these words back at my desk.

As my writing group's fantastic facilitator, author Christi Craig from

Hidden Timber Books

said, "Sometimes that's the best first drafts, when we have a strict amount of time -- and no time to think too hard about it -- and we toss the words on the page."

In life, as in writing, sometimes it’s best when we don’t “think too hard about it.”

I hope you enjoy this poem. I hope it helps you see some of the beauty of life - both the seen and the unseen - right here in between.

With gratitude,

Mary

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